Pardon my ignorance on the subject, but is the F-35 able to convert back into a clean form after jettisoning the external tanks along with the hard
point supports that hold it if it were fitted with such externals? I've always wondered about this with the F-22 and other stealth jets since the
hard point would affect stealth I'd imagine, even if the hard point was empty.

All fighters carry two small explosive charges in the external pylons. They're able to jettison individual pylons, or all of them. Besides the ability
to go back stealthy for a stealth aircraft, in the event of an emergency, they can jettison them to reduce weight and drag.

On a stealthy platform, once they're jettisoned they're back to a stealthy configuration.

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